COURSE: New Testament
Lecture #8: Johannine Literature
The Johannine Problems
- First, the gospel is way too late to have been written by John the son of Zebedee.
It is the latest of the gospels, certainly no earlier than 90 or 100 CE, though some scholars now say it might have been in its first draft much earlier
It was written most likely from Ephesus, but it is possible that it came from Eastern Syria where the gospel of Thomas originated.
There was a papyrus discovered dating from about 150 CE of the gospel of John, the oldest fragment of any gospel that has been found, so it is clear that John must have been completed before this
- Second, there are inconsistencies in geography.
For ex: in chap 4 Jesus is in Galilee where, in chap 6 he fed the 5000.
However, in chapter 5 he is in Jerusalem and in 7 he is no longer able to travel in Judea; so the order, it is generally agreed, should be 4, 6, 5, 7.
- Third, John 7:53-8:11, the woman taken in adultery, is not in many of the most ancient and authoritative manuscripts.
However, it is in some of the manuscripts of Luke.
- Fourth, John 20:30-31 is the end of the gospel–but then there is chapter 21.
This was an addition by the last editor who worked over the gospel to make it acceptable to the mainstream church which looked to Peter as its authority.
- There is no internal evidence as to who the “beloved disciple” was. It is assumed it was John but that is never stated and there has been much speculation over who it might be
it may not be referring to an individual at all but a community as I will discuss later.
- Question: Did John know the synoptic gospels?
Probably not. It seems that John was not familiar with the synoptics in any way.
This makes one aware of the multiplicity of gospels that were being written.
He probably did know the Gospel of Thomas and possibly some other gnostic gospels that were circulating early.
Stages of Composition
- The most widely accepted theory is by Rudolph Bultmann who says there were three stages of composition in the development of the gospel.
- There were written sources used by John of which three are speculated.
First, a signs source with miracle stories
Second, a revelation discourse source with speeches of the heavenly revealer, similar to the gospel of Thomas.
Third, a passion narrative somewhat like Mark must have used.
- The evangelist who wrote John then used these sources and redacted them to make his own theological statements.
- Before John was accepted into the canon, an ecclesiastical redactor added in some things and changed the order (including the chapters just discussed) to make it more acceptable to the "great Church" who looked to Peter as the head and who was much more sacramental than the original author who believed that faith was what mattered not the sacraments.
- During this process, it is speculated that the final ecclesiastical redactor added chapter 21 and parts of chap 12 as well as adding to the passage on the Eucharist (bread of life passage) in John 6:51c-58, to make it more sacramental.
- The interpolation about the woman taken in adultery was probably added at this time (7:53-8:12)
The community of the Beloved Disciple
- As I mentioned earlier, it is very likely that the beloved disciple referred to a community, not an individual
- Ray Brown, a Johannine scholar, sees the beloved disciple’s community as one of many.
- First are the Jews which John categorizes as Jews not into scribes, pharisees.
This shows the controversy between church and synagogue and the distance from the actual controversies.
John 5 i a polemic between the Jews and the Christians.
These are the non-believers to whom John in chap 5:30-39 says there are 3 witnesses 5, the works he does, the Father, whose voice they heard at the baptism, and the scriptures.
- Second are the crypto-Christians who have accepted Jesus as the Messiah but stay in the synagogue (even tho the church and synagogue had split by this time)
John 12:42-43 speaks of those afraid to confess, it says "they loved the praise of men more than God."
John 9:22-23 – When Jesus heals the blind man, his parents are afraid to say anything for fear of being put out of the Synagogue.
- Third is the Jewish Christians these are Palestinians who profess openly faith in Christ and have left the synagogue but for John they have to low a Christology
John 2:23- speaks of these as believing because of the miracles and signs.
This could explain a signs source used by John to express his own higher Christology.
James was the leader of this community
John 6:60-65 says many disciples drew back because of defective faith.
- Fourth, are Christians of the Apostolic churches.
These are the mainstream, Peterine churches--what later became known as orthodox.
Peter says to Jesus in 6:68 "to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life."
Peter is the mainstream and the beloved disciple respects "him" but it is the beloved disciple at the resurrection who is the first to see and believe.
- Fifth is the Johannine community, the one out of which the Gospel of John comes.
It is left of the mainstream, Peterine community and has a higher understanding of Christ, believing him to be God, and with God in the beginning as in the prologue.
This community is represented by the beloved disciple.
- Sixth, is the various communities that have pushed the Christological understanding even further, the secessionist Christians who are saying that Christ was not even human but just appeared to be.
this is the Docetic heresy, and the first that the church had to deal with for it believed that Jesus only appeared to be human,
they also deny the redemption from sin.
It is this group that much of the gospel is leveled at, particularly in the passages which are against Thomas, for this gospel believed this about Jesus.
- Brown suggests that this secessionist group drove the Johannine community to the right and that John's Christology was accepted by the mainstream church
- However, the tradeoff was that the Johannine community had to accept the authority of the mainstream, peterine church.
Mandean Sect
- There are some questions about the connection with this sect, still found in Iraq and Iran, and the Johannine community.
- It was founded by John the Baptist and its literature is similar to the gospel but it can't be traced back.
- it is not likely that there is any connection except some polemical arguments against John's group found in the gospel of John.
John background
- First, he has a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures and develops some daring interpretations as, for ex, Jesus on the cross as analogous to Moses lifting up the serpent (3:14)
- Second, C. H. Dodd points out the hermeticism, which in the first few centuries of our era was very popular.
The prologue with the logos (word) made flesh is similar to some of Philo of Alexandria's ideas and that of many thinkers who used Plato as the basis of their philosophy.
The 'I Am' sayings are frequent, though given in a state of trance in the gnostic hermetic literature. Jesus speaks to them without being in a trance.
in Hermetic literature to know God is salvation, that is to know you are divine.
Earth, Air, fire and water are the four elements out of which creation comes.
God = mind, in Hellenistic though the logos is son of God, comes from God's mind.
In pagan mysticism the mind within the human being is divine, God the Father, it is non duel, as in Sankara’s thought of India, Brachman (the absolute) is Atman (the soul). one only has to realize their own divinity and that you are not trapped in this world then the divine spark within will be freed and returned to the heavenly plane, this is salvation. Astrology was used because it was felt people are controlled by the seven spheres (sun, moon and five known planets.)
- Third, John is indebted to Gnosticism
He is writing a polemic against it using their own style.
As a quick review, Gnostics are dualistic (spirit is good, matter is bad), they are anti cosmic, with a mythological system with many levels of being.
The demiurge was the creator of this world, not the supreme god, that is why it is evil.
the idea John used was the heavenly reveal or coming to save people by giving them knowledge of their divinity
John says BELIEF in God is what will save you, not knowledge.
John is basically a polemic against the Gnostics, particularly Thomas
He says, in his most famous verse 3:16 God so loved the world that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
This is the redactor’s hand making a theological statement.
John chap 8, 11, 14 and 20 are also aimed this way particularly at Thomas
- Fourth, John has a background in Judaism
There are 3 trends in recent research that show that most of what Jesus teaches according to John, was around Judaism.
We know now since the dead sea scrolls and other finds, that there was far more going on in Jewish thought then previously understood.
- Wisdom literature movement within Judaism that provides much of John's language.
- Targum–Aramaic interpretations of the Hebrew scriptures which were around early. One of Job was found at Qumran
- Qumran, 1947, we now know about since finding the Dead Sea materials in 1949 that there was influence there.
- Thus, John was well versed in the Bible, Greek culture, philosophy, etc. well educated. He uses the best Greek in the New Testament
Another good argument for it not being John the son of Zebedee.
- He wanted to present Jesus as universally as possible to his contemporaries, so he uses symbolism from all the religions that he knew of in his day.
- The place of writing is not known but it is probably either Ephesus or Syria.
- I would like to think it is Edessa in Eastern Syria where Thomas was used.
- Purpose of the Gospel was to present Jesus in a broad scale for a community that never saw him.
- John's use of titles for Jesus, i.e., Rabbi, Lamb of God, Son of God, King of Israel, son of man, is trying to show who Jesus is to all walks in the ancient world.
- John sees Jesus as the fulfillment of all hopes and expectations in the world.
- Jesus' glorified for John it is not the resurrection that glorifies Jesus but the cross, when he is lifted up on it.
- Parousia (John 20:19-24) for John has already happened when Jesus on the first night after his resurrection, breathed on the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit.
- Significantly, Thomas was absent from this receipt of the holy spirit.
- John has what is called realized Eschatology
This simply means that eternal life begins the minute you believe and is not a delayed thing, a heaven by and by. In this there is evident influence from the Gnostics who say once you realize your divinity, you're saved.
Gnostic literature
- As I said, John was influenced by this and he uses their format which is a question/answer dialogue.
- for example:
John 6:67--will you go away?
John 6:68-69 you have the words of eternal life.
another question/answer dialogue is that in the Bread of life
- Discourse in Chap 6 (Read):
Q: Rabbi, when came (25)
A: Food for eternal life (26-27)
Q: What works? (28)
A: belief (29)
Q: what sign to believe (30-31)
A. not Moses, father gives true bread (32-33
Q: Lord give us bread (request, 34)
A. I am bread of life (35-40)
Q. Who is he? (41-42)
A. sent by Father (43-51b) Isaiah 54:13
Q: How of flesh (51c-52)
A. Eucharist (52-58)
Q. Who can listen? (60)
A. son of Man (61-66)
Q. will you go away (Jesus) (67)
A. you have words. (68-69)
- John is saying Jesus is not the heavenly revealer, not the heavenly revealer as the gnostics thought, ie, not human, but that the very human person Jesus is the revelation of God in the world.
- As I pointed out, the verses from 51 c to 58 where the Eucharist is discusses, may have been a later edition by the ecclesiastical redactor but it is not know for sure
- It is also very likely that the same redactor added in the eschatological idea of raising up on the last day in 6:44b. because this does not go with John's theology of realized eschatology.
"I Am" sayings
- Found in 6:35; 8:12, 24-30; 58-59; 14:6 as well as a few other places.
- The function of these sayings is to say that Jesus and the Father are one.
- could be a Jewish/Christian polemic for just as Paul ties in with Abraham being the father of our faith, so does John.
I am the Bread (6:35); I am the light (8:12); I am the way, truth and life (14:6), I am the good shepherd (10:14), etc.
- There is a distinctive use of metaphors which presupposes the symbols were already known as religious symbols to the audience, like shepherd, bread of life (Jewish) but the others have a background from other religions.
- He uses all religious symbols he can to make Jesus appeal universally.
- Origin absolute sayings can be found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Ex 3:14)
- In John 8:59 (look at) Jesus says "Before Abraham was, I Am"
- This is the one time he uses the divine name given to Moses which is a claim to pre-existence and oneness with God.
- He was nearly stoned for this but John is trying to give a Christological understanding that is higher than anyone before him.
- Both Isis and some Gnostic sources use this type of I am sayings and it is very unlikely that these I am sayings came from Jesus.
- Judgment
- Read 3:17 & 12:47 // Jesus didn't come to condemn (as contrasted to save) the world but save it.
- Read: 12:48 // Jesus’ word will be the judge on that day; the judgment is that he who doesn't believe is judged already.
- Eschatological judgment means that people have judged themselves on the basis of belief or unbelief by Jesus' presence and preaching.